Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

New York's Aggressive Battle Against Climate Change

By Brian Mann | NCPR
Friday, June 21, 2019

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

Copyright 2021 NCPR. To see more, visit NCPR.

New York is set to enact plans to battle climate change. It would go further than some other states in cutting carbon emissions from electricity, buildings and transportation.

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

New York is set to enact one of the country's most aggressive plans to address climate change. A new law passed this week will require that the state reduce its carbon pollution by 2050 to zero. But as North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports, it's not clear exactly how that's going to happen.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: When State Senator Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Island, talks about New York's new climate law which he pushed through, he's talking about rewiring New York's entire energy system, making the world's 13th-largest economy carbon-free in just a few decades.

TODD KAMINSKY: We're envisioning people driving electric cars in 2050, heating their homes using renewable energy in 2050, going to work in buildings that are emitting far less carbon than today. So this is sweeping, and it's important.

MANN: The benchmarks in this measure are ambitious - a hundred percent of electric power production carbon-free by 2040, 85% of greenhouse gas pollution gone by 2050 with the other 15% offset by some kind of carbon credits - all of that mandated in state law.

PRIYA MULGAONKAR: So we're seeing a real watershed moment.

MANN: Priya Mulgaonkar is with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, one of the green groups that lobbied hard for this measure.

MULGAONKAR: What it really does is just set framework and a road map for all of New York state's government agencies to figure out how they're going to tackle reducing our emissions.

MANN: Other states have made similar pledges over the last year. In theory, New York's law goes farther, affecting the entire economy, making the cuts mandatory. But critics like Gavin Donohue say the law doesn't explain how vast amounts of renewable energy will get made or distributed. He heads an energy trade group called the Independent Power Producers of New York that oppose this bill.

GAVIN DONOHUE: There's promises here with no details, big numbers that say we're going to get there and we're going to do this - with zero backup. We have not done a technical feasibility study. We haven't done an impact on - for consumers and costs.

MANN: This law creates a new council that, once appointed, will work with state agencies over the next two years to fill in the details. Donohue says those decisions will affect how New Yorkers work and live.

DONOHUE: This isn't just about electricity generation and production. This is about New York state's economy - manufacturing, real estate. But the implications are incredibly huge.

MANN: There's also no new money in this law, which makes implementation harder. But Governor Andrew Cuomo said this law puts climate change, with its costly storms and flooding and heat waves, at the top of the agenda.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDREW CUOMO: I believe climate change is the issue of our generation.

MANN: Speaking yesterday on WAMC Public Radio, Cuomo said the goals in this law will be followed by action - even before the comprehensive plan is in place.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CUOMO: We're about to announce a project off Long Island - multibillion-dollar investment for wind turbines that bring those businesses here...

MANN: That sounds ambitious. But for this climate law to work by 2050, even supporters say the scale of planning and projects will have to get a lot bigger fast.

Brian Mann, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

View this story on npr.org
Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

Most Viewed

California Coronavirus Updates: State Sen. Nielsen Criticizes State Vaccine Rollout For Small, Rural Counties

High-Speed Rail In California Moves Along, But Slowly

California Coronavirus Updates: State Launches Pilot Vaccine Sign-up Website

California Attorney General Files Nine Lawsuits In One Day As Trump Leaves Office

Social Media Posts Push False Claims About Kamala Harris And Planned Parenthood

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.